Market Update Monday: Stop the Swaying

A lack of land for building combined with an overarching demand for sky high views for Manhattan’s elite leaves real estate developers with only one option: build tall and lean within minuscule lots. This recent phenomenon both encompasses and surrounds Billionaire’s Row, with skyscrapers soaring upwards of 1,000 feet. However, the taller and leaner these buildings become, the more they tend to sway.

Though the movement is often minor and not yet a safety hazard, those at the top may feel slightly woozy from it’s effects. To resolve this issue, developers are now tasked with installing counterweights or dampening systems at the peak of the buildings to offset this motion. Although not required by city building codes, these enormous stabilizers are a crucial element of skyscraper design as building bases become narrower. Currently 10 luxury buildings in New York are in the works of installing these new systems.